This weekend sure was a roller coaster, eh? We were riding high Friday night, with a convincing win against the Red Sox following a series sweep of the Astros. But just 48-hours after that, the Cubs had lost twice (once by 17 and then on a walk-off…) while Jordan Wicks became the FOURTH member of the Opening Day rotation to hit the injured list.
But maybe the pendulum is already swinging back in the other direction? Brett got into the positive injury update on Cody Bellinger earlier this morning, including reports and visuals of him playing catch and hitting off a tee. And here’s what Counsell had to say about that process (via The Athletic): “We gave him some days off and then we started activity,” Counsell said. “We’re just going to do a little more every day and see where that puts him. So far, we’ve had good days. We’re not at going game speed by any means yet, but we’ve had some good days.”
And that’s not all. Craig Counsell is even optimistic on Jordan Wicks, who, in all honesty, I was already prepared to lose for months before this update. In fact, I’m still pretty concerned, but it’s hard not to find some relief in the following characterization via Counsell: “I think it made sense for us to be cautious here,” Counsell said. “We’ll have to see how it responds over the next week and see where we’re at. That’s the hope, that maybe we caught this soon enough and maybe it’s a short stint.”
According to Sahadev Sharma, Wicks “seemed optimistic,” and while he will get imaging done soon, thinks this is just “lingering soreness” for now. In fact, Wicks said he felt it before his last start, but it went away once he got warmed up.
Here’s hoping.
Daniel Palencia, who was just called up yesterday, tossed two really impressive innings against the Red Sox last night: 2.0 IP. 0H, 0BB, 0ER, 3K. And frankly, he looked as good as he ever has with the Cubs, topping out over 100 MPH multiple times and finding the strikezone more often than ever. Like Luke Little, Palencia has obvious big-league caliber stuff, but can’t always rein it in. Last night was a reminder of how dominant he CAN be when he’s locked in.
Pete Crow-Armstrong has a four-game hitting streak, including a double, a homer, two runs scored, and four RBI. He hasn’t stolen a base yet, but his excellent center field coverage was finally on full display last night at Fenway. Look how far he ran to catch this one:
Hayden Wesneski was also great last night. Pitching on three-days rest, and through some sloppy Cubs defense and bad luck, Wesneski still managed to turn in 4.0 IP with just one earned run on 5 hits, 1 walk, and 3Ks. And if he had some better defense (or if that grounder didn’t bounce off third base), I’m convinced he would’ve gone 5.0 innings. He and Javier Assad (and Ben Brown and Keegan Thompson) have really stepped up when called upon this season.
Matt Mervis, by contrast, just can’t seem to get going. He had an RBI single on Friday and another last night, but the first was was a 77.8 MPH blooper and the second was a .190 xBA grounder pulled into right field. It’s a small sample still, and he obviously crushes Triple-A pitching, but he just isn’t putting together comfortable at bats or producing.
And sometimes, the Cubs actions speak louder than words. Because in the top of the 9th inning of a tie-game last night, the Cubs pinch hit for their left-handed DH Matt Mervis using … the right-handed (and light-hitting) Nick Madrigal … against a righty pitcher. That righty pitcher was Kenley Jansen, who is admittedly tough on lefties. But he’s still even tougher on righties, and Nick Madrigal is slashing .219/.265/.281 (57 wRC+) this season. And the sad part is, I think that move was probably justifiable, which is not meant as a compliment to Madrigal.
If Mervis doesn’t start producing, I’m really not sure if he’ll get another chance anytime soon. This is a huge opportunity for him, with so many guys out, you’d hate to see it go to waste. On the flip side, if Pete Crow-Armstrong actually manages to keep hitting (who knows …), then maybe they ease Cody Bellinger back in at DH or first base and let PCA get some run. I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves there, though, because in all likelihood, PCA still has some significant offensive development ahead of him. But still, so far, so good.
Fanatics is doing a a one-day, 25% sale, if you’re looking to grab any Cubs gear.